Races for my campaign

[Malachi_rc]

So I'm getting ready to start a new campaign, and am mixing up the races a little bit. I'm not sure some are balanced though.
So everybody knows, I'm using the Elements of Magic, so mental stat bonuses aren't that useful.

These are the three I'm really worried about.
half-hobgoblin +2 con -2 cha, medium size, darkvision 60ft, +2 move silently and hide

I know this seems like a dwarf, but in my campaign I use dwarves get -2 to dex instead of cha. I also see dwarfs as pretty powerful, while these guys don't have many bonuses.

half-goblin -2wis , small size, darkvision 30ft, +2 move silently, +2 listen, +2 spot
Not having a bonus to stats for the half goblin is intentinal, since they don't get a penalty to str, I see that as a pretty big bonus for a small character with there +1 to all attacks. I also am not sure what would be appropriate. Dex and they are too like halflings, str and con aren't really appropriate, and int seems too good. That leaves cha, and I don't see half goblings being that strong of a personality. In fact, I'd have the penalty in cha instead of wisdome, but that would hurt spellcasting ability, and I see alot of these guys as spellcasters.

lizardmen +2str, -2dex, +2wis, -2int. Darkvision 30ft, aquatic. Swim speed 20ft, normal speed 20ft.

There are no orcs or gnomes in these worlds, so these guys fill those roles to a point.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[Sertimon]

Some suggestions ...

Hi, Malachi_rc!

Well it depends on what you're going to use the races for. If they're going to be full-fledged PC races, I would say that their a tad weaker than those in PHB. I don't find them as exciting as the PHB races either. Do the lizardmen have the Reptilian subtype? What's the base land speed of the half-goblin? What about favored classes? Are you using all races in the PHB except half-orcs and gnomes? With these questions answered, I might be able to give better advice how to improve races

In the meantime, here are some suggestions how to improve the races:

Half-Hobgoblin:
- +2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks: Half-hobgoblins know how to use verbal threats and body language to frighten their foes.
- Weapon Familiarity: Half-hobgoblins may treat glaives and guisarmes (see page 118) as simple weapons rather than martial weapons. All half-hobgoblin tribes teach their young how to use these weapons. Or whatever weapon you prefer them to fight with. Wanted to avoid the stereotype weapons of elves and dwarves.
- If they still war with elves like their parent race (hobgoblins), might give them a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against elves.

Half-Goblin:
- +2 racial bonus on Initiative rolls: Half-goblins are quick to react to danger.
- Increase their base land speed to 30 ft. if they already don't have it. Same as the standard goblin race.
- Light Feet (Ex): Half-goblins are light on their feet and thus very difficult to track; the DC of a tracking check increases by 5 when tracking a half-goblin.
- +1 racial bonus when attacking with light weapons: Half-goblins are adept at fighting in confined spaces.
- Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against enchantment spells cast by half-goblins. This adjustment stacks with those from similar effects. It is mentioned in he goblin entry that goblins favor spells that confuse, that's why I picked enchantment school (daze, confusion etc) but illusion is also fine (since the gnomes are gone). Would also strengthen their role as spellcasters somewhat.

Lizardmen:
- +2 racial bonus to Balance checks: A lizardman uses its tail to keep its balance.
- Natural Armor: The lizardman's scaly hide offers greater protection than normal. Its natural armor increases to +1.
- Since they have the Aquatic subtype perhaps they should also have the Amphibious special quality so that they can breathe on land as well. Otherwise, the lizardmen will be kinda pointless unless you're doing a underwater campaign.
- Personally, I would change Darkvision to Low-Light Vision instead. But then again, I don't really know where these guys live (perhaps in underwater caves with no light?)

I am not saying that you should give all the traits mentioned above, but pick a few that fits the concept of the race or the role you want to fill in.

I am also full aware that some of the suggestions might not work (especially for the half-races), if the parent races don't have similar traits. That's why I tend to avoid using half-races. But if the half-races have established roles in the campaign setting or a culture of their own, then the suggestions would work just fine (in that case I would give them a new racial name as well, an identity, if you will).

 

[Malachi_rc]

Okay, here's all the races, so you can compare the power levels. I've already made a few changes that you suggested.


Elves-
high- no auto proficiency with swords

gray- +2 cha -2 con, no automatic weapon proficiency, no bonus to spot/listen. +2 spellcraft and diplomacy. favored class mage

wild- +2 str +2 dex -2 con -2int -2wis, no auto proficiency with swords, prof with spears instead, alertness as bonus feat. No search bonus. Favored class barbarian

Halfling will use faen from AU, not sure of any changes yet, but there will probably be some. I will not allow the sprite version.

Dwarves
silver- +2 con -2 dex no weapon familiarity, bonus's against and goblins are replaced with giants,

gold- +2 int -2 wis, no save bonus against magic, no weapon familiarity, no fighting bonuses against other races. +2 concentration and spellcraft. Favored class mage

Half-elf One extra skill point per level, no bonus to diplomacy or gather info

Half-hobgoblin +2 con -2 cha, medium size, darkvision 60ft, +2 move silently/hide, +2 intimidate and bluff . Favored class- fighter or rouge (it will be one, but I haven't decided yet)

half-goblin -2wis , small size, movement 30 ft, darkvision 30ft, +2 move silently, listen, spot, and climb. +2 racial save versus compel, charm, and compel spell lists. favored class- mage,

lizardmen +2str, -2dex, +2wis, -2int. Low-light vision, reptilian. Swim speed 20ft, normal speed 20ft, can hold breath twice as long as normal, +1 naturel armor, +2 bonus to survival. favored class-ranger


As for your questions, They are all PC races, as are a few ECL ones if a character wants one. All of these races are members of an empire ruled by a human emporer and a ruling council of 39 people, with representatives from every race.
Lizard men generally live in swamps and forests, being new to the empire. I may still change them back to darkvision, I see them as being related to kobolds and dragons, but I'm not sure if I want so many races to have darkvision.

In general, I see all these races as pretty close. Certain ones may be better than others at certain jobs, but they all have their good points. Most importantly, I could see playing any of these races as some class, while in the core rules it's usually a decision between human, dwarf, and elf.